Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter

 A ground-level view of chionodoxa at the end of the driveway.

Sunshine. Blue sky. Warm. Light breeze. First long day in the garden this spring.

Chionodoxa in bloom. As is a tiny species crocus, C. olivieri balansae 'Zwanenburg.' Red-winged blackbirds. Grouse drumming. And frogs calling tonight -- just audible above the swoosh of the stream.

Dirt under the fingernails. Mud on the jeans. And mud on the silly dog.

Rebirth. Resurrection.

Dakota is happy the snow is gone, too.

Crocus olivieri balansae 'Zwanenburg' near the pond.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Two steps forward, one step back



Around here, April showers often are April snows. No problem. The snow soon will be gone and the crocus should be just fine.

Above: The crocus berm Tuesday.
Right: The crocus berm today.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Seventh Day April -- with crocus!

BECAUSE OF CIRCUMSTANCES beyond my control, The Seventh Day bled over into The Eighth Day this month. The pace of spring is quickening around here. We still have piles of snow, but we also have the first crocus in bloom. And the tips of tulips, daffodils and chives rising above the earth. Transformation is under way. 

The Seventh Day Project: April 2011 has been posted -- see it in sidebar at right.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

It's not just about the plants ... or the sculpture

 This is Henry Moore's "Oval with Points."

We encountered a bit of serendipity last summer when we visited the Denver Botanic Gardens. It just happened that the public garden was hosting "Moore in the Gardens," an exhibition of the sculpture of Henry Moore, when we were there in August. Talk about a two-fer -- we went there to see the plants and got to see amazing sculpture, too.

Apparently, we weren't the only ones who were impressed. Westword recently named the "Moore in the Gardens" event the best sculpture show in Denver.

I love visiting public gardens whether or not there are important art pieces there. Public gardens provide a major dose of inspiration. Even though the ideas may be on a grand scale, they often can be adapted for smaller, home gardens. And this visit was no exception.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

The Hotel Sillydog


Do you think the deer are getting a little too comfortable around here? This one apparently was just waking up from a snooze in the backyard about 6:45 a.m. a couple of days ago.